This squash bread might be at the top of the list for exceptional vegan baked goods. Be warned- you’ll have nothing more than crumbs left after minutes of this sitting on your counter. Trust us, this is one of those recipes you’ll be glad you took the effort to get all the right ingredients for!

INGREDIENTS

6 tbsp ground flax seeds

½ cup warm water

2 cup turbinado sugar (or light brown sugar)

½ cup oil

½ cup applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

2 to 2½ c grated zucchini or summer squash (~3 medium-sized ones)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp cinnamon

2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp salt

1 c chocolate chips,raisins, or nuts (optional)

GET TO BAKIN

Grease two loaf pans.

Mix together flax seeds and warm water.

Add sugar, oil, applesauce, and vanilla; beat well.

Add grated zucchini; stir til combined.

In a separate bowl, sift together remaining dry ingredients.

Add dry mixture to wet and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened and everything is incorporated evenly; some lumps are fine. If adding additional mix-ins, fold them in now. Divide batter between prepared pans.

Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes, or until knife inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Let cool a few minutes before slicing.

Combine strawberries and the dissolved sugar mix to a blender. Puree until smooth.

Add sparkling water and pulse a few times to incorporate.

Pour beverage over ice when finished or add ice along with strawberries to make a slushy beverage.

If desired, garnish with fresh mint leaves and enjoy a refreshing cool down!

FOOD FACTS: Lemons can be used for a variety of other household needs including; freshening the fridge, preventing potatoes from browning, preventing rice from sticking, crisping soggy lettuce, keeping insects out of the kitchen, deodorizing your garbage disposal, polishing chrome, brass and aluminum, and much more!

Today’s CSA contains bunches of squash blossoms in every box. With such a beautiful ingredient we thought we’d give you a few beautiful recipes to impress the guests.

STUFFED SQUASH BLOSSOMS

A delicious use of the blossom is as a shell for stuffing. Here is a batter and frying recipe along with some possible fillings.

BATTER INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup corn starch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk, beer or water

BATTER UP

Whisk all batter ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Let sit in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Fill each blossom with stuffing, leaving enough room to twist the pedals closed at the top.

Pour the oil into a skillet to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat over high heat until a small cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden brown within seconds.

Dip blossoms into batter and cook in oil on all sides for a total cooking time of about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate with a paper towel on it to drain the excess oil.

Lightly salt if desired and serve immediately!

FILLINGS: A house favorite is to fill the blossoms with a soft cheese (cream cheese, goat, ricotta). Mix these cheeses with some minced cooked veggies (onion, peppers, etc) and your favorite spices for some additional flavor.

More Squash Blossom Ideas

Steam or bake: Use similar fillings to those above and steam or bake them for a healthier alternative

Pasta: The blossoms can be cooked into a pasta sauce or chopped and tossed into a pasta with olive oil, cheese and other spices and vegetables

Soup: Cook the blossoms into a brothy, use as garnish or cook into a creamy soup